


Mary Sue Problems in Fanfics

by ChaosSonic2018



Category: Kingdom Hearts, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-07-07 15:58:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15911526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaosSonic2018/pseuds/ChaosSonic2018





	Mary Sue Problems in Fanfics

For some reason, god knows why. People insist on making great characters into mary sues with god like abilities and powers. Most people do this under the pretense that these characters don't get enough attention. 

But here's the thing they just use as an excuse to overpower these characters, give them traits and abilities they don't have, making them edgy, emo and making them all knowing.

The biggest example of this I have seen is Papyrus from Undertale.  
  
In the original game he is lovable and enjoyable character. He makes mistakes but he always means well. He is naive, gullible and full of innocence. He works hard to become a royal guard and to try gain friends since he feels lonely. So when the time comes to stop a serial killer, he wants to stop them with words instead of using violence and obviously that gets him killed. He isn't aware of darker aspects in the underground like human corpses, science experiments and the timelines. So his brother and friends try to keep this knowledge away from him so he doesn't lose his innocence and for the most part they succeed.   
  
In most fanfics, however he is apparently a god-like mary sue who knows everything about resets and the underground. He is emo and the nicest person at the same time so you "must" feel sorry for him apparently. He has better gaster-blasters than Sans, teleportation and in some fanfics he can even beat Omega Flowey with ease. This is a serious problem in the Undertale fandom. They took one of my favorite characters in Undertale and turned him into a cringeworthy Mary-Sue character.  
  
Here's what these people don't seem to understand giving Papyrus all these traits and abilities he doesn't have is only making the situation worse. Its insulting to Papyrus' character. Similar to Deku from My Hero Academia, Papyrus works hard and trains for years to gain the abilities & skills he has. Giving him abilities he hasn't worked for or earned undermines all of that.

In some stories, likely inspired by an popular animation called Disbelief Papyrus. There have been several fanfics where Papyrus is in Judgement Hall instead of Sans. An interesting possibility for a story if done right. Sadly in most fanfics, it isn't. In most fanfics, Papyrus easily defeats Frisk/Chara with his godlike abilities. Apparently he only died all the other times because he was too "merciful". There are so many things wrong with that idea, that's it ridiculous. First off do you know who Chara fights before Judgement Hall besides Mettaton. Undyne the Undying, one of the most epic bosses in Undertale. Undyne comes back from the dead through sheer willpower and shows how determined monsters can be. Her determination and sacrifice making big impact on the player. So having Papyrus easily beat Chara with no effort is just insulting to everything Undyne stood for. She struggled over and over again to protect the underground after several years of training and preparation while Papyrus gets victory over Chara handed to him on silver platter with no effort or sacrifice. Having him beat up Frisk/Chara isn't cool. You are giving him victories he hasn't earned. 

And don't even get me started on how ridiculous it is when people start having Papyrus defeat Omega Flowey with ease. So Omega Flowey a god tier character in Undertale with stats of 9999 across the board. Papyrus's HP is 680 with his attack & defence being 20. So obviously Omega Flowey should stomp right. Nope the fans declared Papyrus is god so in fanfiction Papyrus just outright one shots Omega Flowey. Usually after Sans & Frisk were easily defeated. Apparently in a shoe-horned attempt to make Papyrus look like a hero. Really people, really. First off that doesn't make Papyrus look heroic. It makes him look like a goddamn Mary Sue. Oh but Papyrus is sad that he had to kill Flowey so you should feel sorry for him. Nope that is incredibly bad writing. If anything these kinds of fanfics are really just an excuse for Papyrus fans to bash Sans and say "haha Papyrus beat Flowey and made Sans look weak". Its literally a glorified bashing fic. A confrontation between Papyrus and Flowey should be emotional and full of tension. Papyrus should be upset, feeling betrayed and disillusioned. This is someone he completely trusted, someone he thought was his best friend. It should be a moment where Papyrus learns that the world isn't as clean and happy as it looks. But no, no one wants to write a fic where Papyrus gets actual development. No instead Papyrus gets a cheap victory where he beats Omega Flowey with ease because fans want Mary Sue Papyrus. This is a textbook example of a completely unearned victory so the reader feels robbed since there is no tension, no development, no emotional moments. No, the fanfic has such a predictable and boring ending. Its just lazy writing. 

  
He isn't using his own skills and ingenuity. No you are giving him god-like abilities out of nowhere. You know what would be really impressive. If you gave him the abilities he actually has so he can figure out clever solutions to his problems. Yes his abilities are limited but giving him Sans' traits and abilities makes Papyrus nothing more than rip-off. You aren't making him unique, you are making him a copycat of Sans. Have Papyrus learn and grow as a character. His ideals are flawed as well-intentioned as they might be. He has lot of room for growth and having him learn how to work around his limitations would make him for much interesting fanfic.

For example he struggles with using violence since he doesn't like hurting people. So that's a border he has to get over. His friends can help him get over his fears. He can create really large bones that possibly reach up several feet high, a trait completely unique to him. He has lots of stamina and physical training. Have him to plan around his strengths. And i mean his real strengths. Not abilities or traits that are ripped off Sans or made up. Now that would make him actually stand out. Have him actually earn those victories instead of making him into a mary-sue. However if you really don't like the idea of Papyrus changing his non-violence ideals fair enough. But don't make him out to be some ultimate warrior who could defeat anyone by blinking if he wanted to and can easily block or dodge any attack. He isn't and trying to make him into that kind of Mary Sue is just demeaning to the real Papyrus.   
  
Of course Papyrus isn't the only character with this problem. This also happens with Kairi from Kingdom Hearts and several other characters. They give her a keyblade much earlier in fanfics and give her hundreds of abilities out of nowhere. They have Yen-Sid himself go all the way to the island to pick her up and teach her himself. You know, despite the fact Yen-Sid retired from keyblade wielding, he didn't show this same favour to Sora and Riku despite how important they are as heroes.   
  
But no, the fandom demands Kairi must get special treatment and the literal red carpet to godhood. People I want to see Kairi joining the keyblade warriors just as soon as you do. But wow you are making the idea look cringeworthy. Sora and Riku worked hard through years of battle of experience. Having Kairi get handed down god like abilities on a silver platter with no effort is degrading to her character. 

 

 


End file.
